Tame The Animal I Have Become
by crysith.catul
Summary: Book Three Of my Alternate Universe Please read Book One and Two first
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Some things should just be left to the imagination. It is that feeling you get when you wonder what it would be like if said imagination were to manifest itself into the here and now. No amount of movies, comics, novels, and fan fiction could prepare anyone for what they really want in real life. Not really.

So when she was sitting in her front room, a look of stern concentration on her face, playing a well known video game on her computer, you could imagine her surprise when the floor started to shake and a loud boom resonated off the walls.

Jynx, her loyal companion, rose at the noise, growling his displeasure. Cry rose from her seat, all thoughts of the current raid forgotten as the lights flickered over head and she stepped towards the sliding glass doors that led to her back yard. She flicked on the porch light and slowly pulled aside the curtains that covered the glass doors. At first glance nothing could be seen. Her yard only went so far before it was obscured by the massive tree growth that covered the rest of her land. The was a loud bang as a dirty hand suddenly slammed against the glass. Cry yelped, jerking back, and Jynx let out a short roar. She looked down at the hand, following the arm until she could see the male, belly down on the ground. She couldn't see his face, but she was not about to open the door.

"Hey weirdo! You better get the fuck away from my door before I let my kitty out!" She yelled through the glass. Most people new about her exotic pet, and she never had any prowlers around her property, so this was a new experience for her.

Finally the man looked up at her. "Holy shit." The last thing she expected was a Tom Hiddleson look alike, or a Loki look alike for that matter. As she stared at him she noticed he had the black hair, but longer than from the movie The Avengers. His face was dirty, cut, and it looked like he was developing a bruise on his cheek. What he was doing clear out in her neighborhood she had no idea, and why he was in this condition raised even more questions. The only idea she had was that it was a cosplay gone wrong.

Knowing Jynx was on her side she unlocked the door and slowly opened it. The man retracted his hand and tried to sit up.

"Hey dude, easy. What the hell happened to you? Do I need to call an ambulance?"

He didn't answer at first, until Jynx got in his face and hissed. The man seemed to still, even his breathing stopped for a moment.

"Easy Jynx, let's get him inside."

That in itself was no easy task. The man was ungodly heavy, and he stumbled mostly, but thank goodness the couch was close enough for him to collapse on. Cry ran to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and a wet towel. On her way back she scooped up her cell phone and was met with the sight of Jynx sitting on the floor, staring intently at the wounded man on her couch.

Cry offered the man the glass of water, which he took and drank until the glass was empty. She placed the towel along his uninjured cheek, then dabbed at his forehead. His eyes were closed and his breathing shallow.

"I'm calling the medics right now. They should be here soon and then you'll be sitting comfy in a hospital bed in no time."

As she stood to place the call his hand shot out and clasped her wrist. It wasn't painful, but it was not a weak grip either, and Jynx growled in the man's face.

"No, hospitals." He even sounded like Tom Hiddleson. She blinked at him for a moment.

"Alright, well is there someone else I can call to come get you? Do you need me to take you somewhere?"

A good two minutes passed between them before he finally answered.

"No."

"Ok dude, look. You are not going to bleed all over my couch without some kind of explanation. Are you running from the cops? Are you hiding from some attackers?"

"I am being punished." Was all he said and he finally released her wrist.

"Punished? By who?" She still had her phone ready. If she was going to call anybody, it was probably going to be a nut house.

"O'din." he rasped and closed his eyes. He suddenly looked extremely content to just go to sleep on her couch. Her earlier idea of cosplay gone wrong was starting to make sense. These guys were probably acting out scenes and this poor nut probably got hit too hard by Thor's cardboard hammer.

"Are your little cosplay buddies outside waiting for you?" He didn't answer and she was starting to get a little irritated. She was a hermit, a recluse, she didn't do well in social situations and she sure as hell didn't enjoy the company of strangers. "Tell you what. You rest there for a moment and then you need to get out of here, kay?" He still didn't answer and she went to take a seat on her recliner and turned on the television. Jynx still sat with him, waiting for him to make a wrong move so he could chomp the man's head off.

The TV held nothing of interest and she wondered why she even paid for cable. While channel surfing she came across the news that was reporting a strange light that appeared over the county were she lived. Watching the footage the newsman showed she wondered who would be filming the sky at just the right time when stuff like this happened, like when the meteor flew over Russia last month. Then another thought occurred to her, that light looked like the rainbow bridge that brought Thor to earth in the movie Thor.

Of course the next thought to enter her brain was that the man sitting on her couch was in fact the real Loki. But that stuff wasn't real, was it? Oh sure, she wished it was, wished more than anything that dragons flew the skies on a daily basis, but this? No way. Couldn't be...could it?

Her heart started a rapid beat and she approached the man on the couch. His eyes cracked opened at her approach. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she studied his face. Yes, he did look exactly like the Tom Hiddleson/Loki from the movies. But there were some differences. His hair was longer, if not badly tangled and disarrayed. He wore a black shirt and pants, not jeans, and boots. He was dirtied, his clothing ripped. She supposed if he was a cosplayer he would be wearing some form of Loki's armor or the suit he wore in The Avengers. She removed the towel from his forehead and flipped it over to the now cooler side. She wasn't worried about sounding stupid, but it sounded that way all the same as she calmly spoke to him.

"You're him aren't you? Loki. O'din sent you here as punishment. But what I am wondering, is if he knew that he sent you to the wrong dimension."

Loki seemed to get a confused look on his face. Then he finally asked, "What do you mean?"

"I am assuming that your powers have been stripped but you don't have to go to the hospital, what with your godly ability to heal and such. Why don't you get some sleep and in the morning we can talk."

Loki was now looking at her with widened eyes. No doubt he wondered how she knew such things, but his body was pathetically weak right now. Hemdall possibly had some enjoyment out of dropping him from the sky as he did. But she was right, he would survive the night. Deciding that his questions would be answered in the morning he turned his gaze to the ceiling, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The next morning Loki was prepared to be bonbarded by a lowly midguardian asking him millions of questions. To his unexpected dissappointment the only questions she asked was if he was hungry. After a curt nod she then suggested he shower and get cleaned up so his cuts don't get infected. She showed him how to work the shower, and offered him clothing that was a bit big on him but atleast they were comfortable. How she had male clothings he wasn't sure, nor did he want to ask.

Walking out of the bathroom he was met with the pleasant aroma of food being cooked. The large feline was also there, staring at him, and he slowly walked around the animal. Stepping into the kitchen she turned and smiled at him, telling him to have a seat at the table.

She assumed he would like a cup of coffee, seeing as how Thor enjoyed it in the movie, so she poured him a mug and then told him he could add cream and sugar if he wanted to sweeten it up a bit. She returned to the stove and the cat was there at her side, looking up at what she was preparing.

Loki did infact enjoy the coffee, after ten cubes of sugar and a bit of creamer. He watched her as she loaded up a plate with a variety of food stuffs and placed the large plate in front of him. The eggs he recognized, the sausage, but there seemed to be biscuts smothered in a type of white gravy he was unfarmiliar with. She then set jam on the table and a large plater of toasted bread. Next was a jar of brown paste that he did not recognize either. She sat at the table next to him and started to smear the brown paste onto a piece of the toasted bread. He turned his gaze from her and started to eat at his plate.

They didn't speak and she assumed he enjoyed the biscuts and gravy as his entire plate was not empty. "You want seconds?"

"No, no thank you. But this drink is rather good. May I have another?"

"Sure, just don't slam the mug on the floor please." She giggled at him and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Pardon?" he asked and she shook her head at him.

"Oh nothing." When she returned with a full mug of the brew he took it and started to add the sugar as she resumed her seat. "It's called coffee, by the way."

She took her plate and placed two sausage links onto it. She then set the plate on the floor and the large cat eagerly started to eat off of it.

"I suppose I should ask you how you know who I am." Loki finally stated as he started to sip at his perfect mixture of "coffee".

She set her own mug down and took a deep breath before looking up at him. Her brown eyes searched his and she noticed that his eyes looked nothing like in the movie. They were a dark, deep, velvety emerald green that was beautiful. Unfortunatly she always did have a hard time maintaining eye contact with people,so her gaze didn't last long.

"I was up most of the night trying to organize a type of speech that would easily explain how I know you and where you are from. But then I thought that maybe what I know is nothing at all, and that the movies have no relation in this instance. Either way, its going to take more than one paragraph to summerize all of it"

Her voice had an odd accent that he had not heard before. He didn't know where on midgard he was, but it was obviously away from New Mexico and New York. He doubted he was in Europe as well.

"Movies?" he asked, taking another sip.

"You see, Loki. If my over active imagination is correct, then its safe to say that I know you from a movie. A movie that all us humans, or midguardians rather, has access too, and possibly nintey five perscent of the planet's population knows who you are, knows about O'din, Thor, The Avengers, all of it. The attack you waged in New York for example. That didn't happen here, it happened in the movies, which I am starting to wonder if it is another dimension all together. But the only real way to see if my theory is correct is to have you watch the movies and then you can tell me if it is all true."

Loki's face had that look of confusion but if she was so convinced that these "movies" did infact document him and all that he has done then he was rather curious to see what they held. He nodded to her. "Yes, I would like to see these movies."

"Alright well," she got up from the table and started to shove the dirtied dishes into a metal box under the counter. "there are quite a few. Not all of them have you in them. Some are about other members of The Avengers. So we will just watch The Avengers and then if you are still curious then we can watch Ironman one and two, Captian America, and Thor."

Loki wondered why there was not a movie named after him, but one named after his brother. Even if he did not know exactly what these movies were he still wondered why his brother would have one. He tried to push the question away and she lead him into the front room, offering him a seat on the couch. She briefly explained to him that all the events that he was about to see are things that the midguardians view as fiction, based off of illiustrated stories, or comic books, that have been written for years. She also explained that the technology used in the movie is stuff that does not exsist in the hear in the now. One example was the flying craft Nick Fury used as an arial base, the other was Ironman's suit.

She inserted a DVD into the DVD Player and took a seat at the adjoining love seat. Jynx jumped onto it as well and curled at her side, his size taking up the rest of the room left. She pressed play on the remote and hoped that whatever Loki was about to see didn't make him angry or cause him to suddenly want to destroy everything in sight.

Everything around Loki was suddenly in a black, noisless fog. He was so enraptured by what was displaying on the TV screen that he lost sight of anything else that might be happening around him. People he knew came and went, spoke, and then he was there. Arriving before Nick Fury, with one goal in mind, retrieving the Tesserac.

Then he was helping Hawkeye in Europe, creating the distraction he needed and retreiving that elder man's eye. Captian America was there, then Ironman. He smirked when they fell for his trap, clearly wanting them to take him prisoner.

It was the scene of Loki and his brother that make him forward his brow. Had he not noticed Thor's concern for him? He said they had morned for him. It had to of been a lie. He heard that rubbish far too much when he was held prisoner, awaiting his trial. Perhapse something was starting to sink through to him.

Loki didn't nothice that Cry was watching him intently during this scene. She had always hoped that when Thor 2 came out, Loki would finally realize that he is loved as a son and brother. She hoped that maybe Thanos had some kind of control over him, and since he failed in his last mission, Thanos had released him from that hold. But she was not ready to ask him yet. Let him watch the movie and see if any of this pans out as true.

Loki saw the conversations the others had while he was locked in Banner's cell. He smiled when they said he was crazier than a bag of cats. Thor had even stood up for him, if but for a moment. It was the conversation he had with that unsufferable red head and took him down a notch. He felt oddly embarassed by the display of him beig overbearing to the woman.

Scenes came and went, and his defeat was oddly meloncoly. When the credits started to roll he realized that he had sat forward the entire time. He leaned back in his seat and sighed. Cry brought him out of his toughts with a simple statement. "There's more." He looked back to the screen and she skipped through some more credit rolls until the mini scene came on. Loki watched as Thanos came on the screen. He was shocked. A couple things clicked into place right then. This was an alternate dimension. It was not possible for these humans to know about The Other.

His thoughts continued to have a battle in his mind, and he suddenly felt exhausted. Maybe he could use this to his advantage, but how? He was stripped of his powers and only had the ability to be nothing more than a super human in strength and healing minor wounds. He suddenly remembered that he was not alone and he turned to look at the woman.

"You said there are others?"

"Yes, they lead up to this one. I would think they would be more like backround information. But we can watch Thor, and that will show you what all happened before you fell from the bifrost."

He was stunned. She knew about that? His head was spinning now. How could she harbor him knowing who and what he was. If she knew this much, then she knew he was a frost giant. Did she not know the danger he posed to her? Even stripped of his abilites? It didnt make sense.

"You know all this information about me, yet you still allow me into your home? I do not understand this." He narrowed his gaze at her and the giant cat perked its head up at him.

"So your saying the movie is true?" she asked with wide eyes. She was clearly showing a look of wonder in those large brown eyes. It almost sickened him. She is clearly lacking in intelligence.

Loki stood, towering over her well over six feet. "Yes, this movie is very much true. I am just as dangerous and lethal as what is depicted there. I am a murderer and you would do well to remember that if we are to get along in the future." He then reached down and grabbed her by the shirt collar. The cat got up and hissed menecingly in his direction. "You would do well to call off the animal, blood would be hard to clean out of your carpet."

"You will keep your damn hands off of him. I may not win a battle against you,but I sure as hell will go down kicking and screaming!" The last bit she shouted in his face. She showed no fear, and anger was building behind those eyes.

"Then perhapse I'll kill you first, and allow the animal to lick it off the floor."

Her eyes darkned, and her next words came out sure, steady, and in a deep tone of voice.

"I'm sorry. You mistake me for someone who is afraid of death."

Loki dropped her collar and walked away from her. She was infuriating him!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Loki found himself outside. It was pretty much barren. The yard was level with dried grass, a large structure to the far back and then a thick tree line behind that. The space was fenced in by gaudy, thin steel that looked like it could not keep a prowler or animals from invading her territory. He wasn't sure what he was doing out here. He just needed to walk around, he needed space, time to think. The very existence he had been living was brought into question yet again. Now, not only was he a monster, but apparently a figment of this planets imagination. He was confused beyond any rational thought. Before he knew it he was near the said barn he had spotted earlier, leaning against the fence line and staring out into the trees. He could keep walking, find another dwelling, maybe someone weak he could have better control over. But she was his first contact, if he played by the rules, he could probably get her to help him without having to spill blood.

A jet flew overhead, barley making a sound. He looked up at it, his memory flitting back to the battle in New York so many years ago. The craft circled around and he scrunched his brows in question. Did the Avengers know he was here? Have they come for him already?

The craft suddenly shot straight for him. He would not be made a coward so easily. He stood his ground. The craft came ever closer, no indication that it was going to pull up. All too quickly it started to take a new shape and bipedal form dropped from the sky right in front of him. Clawed hands raised to attack and glowing red eyes bore into him. A small part of Loki expected Stark to start speaking, maybe make a rise crack at him. The voice he heard next was not one he expected.

"Who are you?" It yelled at him. Loki was stunned for a moment. It was Crystal's yelling that grabbed both their attentions.

"Wait Moon! Wait! It's ok! You're not going to believe this!" She finally reached them, albeit a little out of breath. "That's Loki! From the Avengers!"

"You mean the movie?"

"Yea! I guess that means we know what universe we are in." Loki blinked at Crystal. She was smiling with glee, apparently excited about the turn of events. The metal creature lowered his claws and eased his stance, looking Loki over with a scrutinizing gaze in his red glowing eyes.

"Hm. Yes, it would appear so."

"Loki, this is my spark mate, Lunar Prime. But you can call him Moon for short."

"What kind of metal suit is this? Did you get it from Stark himself?"

Crystal blinked at Loki, looking up at Moon and then back down to Loki. "Um, no. Moon is a sentient being. An autonomous robotic life form from another planet."

"I know of no worlds that house such creatures."

"No, I don't suppose you wouldn't. But he's called a transformer all the same. An Autobot by the side he has chosen to align with."

"Interesting."

Moon cut in, not liking the way Loki was studying him. "So what do we do with him?" he asked while turning his gaze to Crystal. "Is he here for punishment like Thor was?"

"Indeed. Come on Loki, we need to get you settled in." She turned to walk away from the two and Moon turned to enter the barn, the door closing firmly behind him.

"You are not going to alert the others? Tell them of my presence here?"

Crystal didn't turn around, just kept walking, but responded all the same. "No, at least not yet."

Loki followed her back into the house, the large cat lounging on the couch. A man, taller than Loki himself stepped around the corner and stopped, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched Loki. "That is Moon's human form. It can only go so far until he can't maintain it." Loki blinked at him, his mind a whirl.

"I don't suppose there are movies about these, 'Transformers', is there?"

"As a matter of fact, there are. But with subtle differences, just like I think yours might be. But don't worry, we are going to go into town and get you some new digs, and grab some more food now that there is another mouth to feed. Maybe you'd like some books or something as well?"

Loki thought about it a moment. She was being awfully hospitable after the argument that had had not so long ago. He supposed he should say he was sorry, but if she was offering something he knew he should not decline it.

"That would be, most appreciated."

"The metal man is not accompanying us?" Loki asked after they started down the highway into town.

"He's limited in human form remember? Plus, it's not like I can't call for help if you decided to go all psycho on me."

"And how would you do that? Might I ask?"

"We are sparkmates. We can hear each other in our heads. A pleasant side effect for cross species mating I might add."

"You mean you…"

"Yep. Now, as far as clothes go. We don't exactly have Asguardian threads or armors, but you did seem to enjoy wearing that suit with the scarf. Would that be acceptable?"

"Yes I suppose. I was only trying to blend into my surroundings, I do not know what Midgard has to offer in the way of clothing." Loki turned his head to look out the window, watching as civilization slowly started to make itself known until a bustling city surrounded them.

"Well in that case, I know just where to go." Crystal turned her white jeep down an intersection that took them straight to the middle of the city. Expensive shops lined up on each side, but she only stopped at one. She had never been inside, and to walk in with nothing but a tank top and shorts would probably get her kicked out. The looks of disgust made her smile as they walked in, but when she pulled out her wallet from her back pocket and slapped a black American Express Card in front of the cashier the mood changed instantly. The cashier smiled up at her with eyes bigger than her very head.

"And how can I help you today miss?" She asked, voice breaking as she thought about how much she was going to try to get Crystal to spend.

"You can help me, by helping him." Crystal thumbed at Loki standing behind her, and he didn't say a word. "We need enough outfits for at least two weeks I think. We will be back if we need more."

"Yes ma'am! Right away!" The cashier turned from Crystal and Loki and clapped her hands, getting the attention of two other females and two males. They were young, and Crystal knew what they were used for, they were going to help Loki dress. This was going to be interesting.

Crystal could only sit and watch, "I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt" playing in her head as Loki would come out of the booth and approach her on their mock catwalk, while he 'modeled' the outfit they picked out for him. Every outfit so far was a miss. His face of revulsion was comical but the cashier didn't seem to notice. Instead she looked at Crystal for approval. After Crystal would giggle to herself she would shake her head no, and Loki would be dressed in another outfit, then another. On and on it went for over an hour and Crystal was finally getting bored of what she now called 'Loki's torture'.

Moon would check in on her, and she would relay the current events. He would laugh in her mind. _"I am so glad you think I'm sexy in what I had created the first time around. I would not want to go through what you are subjecting to Loki."_

"_You could wear a trash bag and look sexy. Besides, Im starting to get bored. This is taking too long, Im hungry, and I haven't had Mountain Dew in over an hour!"_

"_Oh dear. Shall I alert the world that it is about to come to an end?"_

"_Ha ha, very funny. Did you do the research I asked you to?"_

"_Oh course I did. I live to serve."_

"_Oh hush."_

"_Only if you make me!"_

"_Moon I swear, when I get home ima…." _Crystal thought was cut short when Loki stepped out of the booth wearing boot cut jeans, a tucked in t-shirt, a leather jacket and boots. He was smiling, obviously pleased with the ensemble, as simple as it was. Crystal supposed the cashier had ran out of ideas. Crystal's jaw dropped. For something so simple he looked good!

"_Don't make me murder him while you sleep."_ Cry shook her head, giggling at Moon's jealousy and quickly got out of the chair the cashier had offered her when this had all started.

"We'll take it! In every color shirt and pants that you got. He can wear that out of the store."

The purchase was made and the cashier smiled and waved as they walked out. Loki's new clothes were thrown in the back seat and they headed to the book store. Crystal tried to convince him to just use her Nook, but he had made a comment that he preferred to read books 'the old fashioned way'. Typical.

Loki was silent on the ride back. Part of him suggested he thank Crystal for supplying him with clothes, and now a small stack of books of various titles. It was unlike him to judge a book by its cover, but he would need distractions and he highly doubted this world had any kind of books to offer that were like his back on Asgard.

Crystal had skipped the grocery store, it was already getting too late and Moon had agreed to start dinner. So when they arrived home and Cry walked into the house, smelling of deliciousness she leapt on Moon to plant a giant kiss on his lips. He held her firmly and accepted the kiss. "I will take that as a thank you."

"As well you should."

Moon allowed her to step away from him and she turned to help Loki with his bags. Loki's face was unreadable, but she didn't let it bother her. No doubt he was picturing Moon as the giant metal man, and Crystal had planted a giant smacker on his lips. It was probably a very odd sight for him.

Crystal led Loki down the short hall and into a spare bedroom. It had a small adjourning bathroom and Crystal would have to make another trip into town to get him some essentials. Whether or not gods brushed their teeth she wasn't sure, and was a bit too embarrassed to ask to tell you the truth.

"Well, here you go. I'll let you put your clothes up to your liking, and the bed is unused. Dinner should be ready here in minute and then we can eat." She smiled at him and dashed out as quickly as possible.

When Loki finally emerged he took a seat at the table. Moon and Crystal were already there and there was a plate full of food sitting there waiting for him. Crystal was already eating and Moon was just sitting there, staring at him. He did not have a plate in front of him. Crystal slapped his arm, "Moon, stop staring. Geez."

"Sorry." Moon mumbled and put his head down. His arms were crossed on his chest and when he finally looked up he was either looking at Crystal or anywhere but at Loki. The large feline was sitting at Cry's feet, waiting for her to share whatever she had on the plate.

Loki's curiosity started to pick at him and he had to ask, "You do not eat metal man?"

Moon didn't seem to be fazed by Loki's name for him, but he did grunt and smile at the demi god. "No. At least not, human food." He looked away and Loki let the subject drop. He felt uneasy around the morphing creature, but he did not feel threatened. Loki did get a sense that there was a great power buried deep in the being.

The rest of the meal was in silence. Crystal cleared the table and Moon disappeared. Crystal told Loki that he did not have to go to sleep, but she was so he would be left to his own devices for the rest of the night. Loki retreated to his new room and looked through the books he had picked out today. Deciding against reading he undressed and got into bed. It was not what he was used to, but he had slept on worse. He stared at the ceiling, listening to the noises from outside the window, the house settling, the large feline yawning down the hallway, until finally, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The next morning Crystal woke up early, made a giant skillet full of scrambled eggs and left it on the table for Loki. He was still in his room, so she ran outside to meet Moon in the barn.

"Good morning beautiful." He grinned down at her before stooping to her level.

"Moon, can you keep an eye on Loki while I go into town?"

"Mm, you want me to baby sit? What if he like, I don't know….blows the house up?"

"You're scared of him?" Crystal raised an eye brow at him in question.

"What?! No! Of course not, I just…"

"I know, I know. But just for today while I run into town and grab some groceries. I don't want to bore him and I think he just kinda needs his own time. Just leave him to his own devices, but if you hear any explosions, then you might wanna go check it out."

"Alright love, only because you ask so nicely." He reached out a clawed hand and she grabbed one of the fingers, bringing it to her lips and giving it a kiss.

"Thanks lovey. I will be back before you know it."

"You better, my energon is running low." He purred the words and Crystal could feel the vibrations running up her spine. With all the excitement recently she had her mind on other things.

"You lucky I love you, otherwise, I may just let you starve." Moon chuckled as Cry ducked out of the barn and ran for the jeep. Hoping in she tore ass out of the drive way and headed into town.

Moonstreak, or Lunar Prime, as Primus had named him so many months ago, could not get used to his name changing as such. He was working at his station, collecting the research Crystal had tasked him with. Apparently Tony Stark was real, the Avengers were real, and the events that happened in New York had taken place a few years ago. That left a relative gap between the time Loki was taken prisoner back to his home world, and the time that he had arrived on Earth.

Moon was also working on a way to send a message between the universes to try and send a message to the Autobots about him and Crystal's whereabouts. Unfortunately he felt he was no closer to achieving his goal. When he and Cry had first arrived here, things were hectic. The only familiar thing around them was Crystal's house. As he had assumed, it must be the focal point in their travel. But, Crystal did not exist. Her normal credit cards did not work, and Moon had to do some old fashion hacking to get her the black American Express she now carried. She had been upset with losing her motorcycle, but opted to buy a used jeep to keep a low profile. Her cell phone had been left behind but her laptop had been stored in one of Moon's many 'pockets' when they had traveled to Cybertron. Her laptop contained a few of her favorite movies, which happened to be the one related to current events.

What they had discovered in this world is that the "Transformers" were a line of Cartoons, Movies, and Toys. One thing about that, that confused them, was that in the movies, Moon and Crystal were not present. There were three movies all together and Moon was pleasantly surprised to see Megatron and the then traitorous Sentinel Prime, destroyed. When he saw Cybertron being nothing less than dismantled, he had a feeling that what Primus had told him was coming to pass. With the destruction of Cybertron, Primus was now destroyed, and thus Unicron would soon meet his end. After some research on , Crystal had said that a fourth movie was in the works.

Another comfort for her was that the cub, which she had named Jynx, was growing and was completely loyal to them. Although Moon suspected that the cat would choose Crystal over him.

Moon's thoughts were disrupted when he heard the barn door slide open. He knew it was not Crystal, and suspected that Loki had come, possibly in search of her. Moon didn't say a word, but continued on with his work at his station.

After a few minutes Loki finally walked inside and took a seat at the worn couch. He looked up at Moon, "May I ask, what you are doing?"

Moon, being the obnoxious ass that he can be, decided to have a little fun. "I am trying to phone home."

Loki didn't seem to get the joke, but just continued to look over Moon's work station. "What is your world like?" He asks and Moon stills with what he is doing. He turns to look down at Loki, wondering why he would want to know in the first place. Moon supposed he was just curious after all.

"My world was a wonderful place." Talking about his home in the past tense didn't settle well with him. But, what had happened was in the past, and there was nothing he could do to change that. "Everything was robotic. Gleaming cities, rich communities. I imagine just like any other world, it had its good days and bad days."

"What happened to it?"

"It was destroyed. There came a time of war, and it was eventually taken off world. In the end, Cybertron paid the price for peace."

"Who were you fighting against?"

"It was a rebel, that thought he could rule the world. He formed a group called the Decepticons. I was created after the war had already started. I was on the wrong side. It took me centuries, but I finally managed to escape the war, the planet, everything. Some would call me a coward, but then I found something worth fighting for. I joined with Optimus Prime and the Autobots, and I fought by their side."

"Is that who you are trying to 'phone'?"

"Yes, despite what the movies may display, I feel a greater threat on the horizon for them. If we can't return, then I must at least try to warn them."

Loki only nodded his head and looked around the barn again. Another couple of minutes passed and just when Moon turned to start work again Loki asked another question.

"May I ask, what did you find that was worth fighting for?"

Moon didn't even turn to look at him, but raised his head and seemed to stare at nothing before finally answering. "Love conquers all." And then Moon went back to work. When there were no more questions coming from his audience he looked to see that Loki was no longer sitting on the couch.

Loki left the barn, thoughts tumbling in his mind. He returned to the house and to his room, picking up one of his new books and deciding to read for a bit. He did not know where Crystal had went and although we wanted to think that she was contacting the Avengers about him, something told him otherwise.

A few hours later Loki can hear someone coming through the front door. Judging by the way Jynx was mewling, he suspected Crystal had returned home. The sounds of plastic bags could be heard as she dumped her resent purchases on the kitchen counter. Cupboards were opened and closed as she put various groceries away. A few minutes later she knocked on Loki's door. He got up to meet her and she smiled up at him, her eyes showing nothing but joy, possibly at the fact that he did not run away.

"Hey Loki. I wasn't sure about a god's toiletry needs, so I just grabbed some stuff for the bathroom."

"I thank you."

"Yea sure, no problem." Crystal placed the plastic bag of goodies on his bathroom sink and went into the hallway again. "You know, if you need something or you just want to get out of the house, don't hesitate to say so."

Loki stopped her then. "Actually, I was quite curious and wanted to ask you a few more questions."

"Sure! You want some coffee? Let's go sit at the table."

Loki and Crystal sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of each of them. Crystal was sitting patiently on one end, her left hand off to the side petting the large feline on the head while it rested in her lap.

"I am most curious about what transpired after my capture."

Crystal took a sip and set her mug down. "Nobody really knows Loki. Nothing was shown in the movie and its anybody's guess what really happened after that. I mean, Fan fiction has thousands of stories of what they thought might of happened to you."

"Fan fiction?"

"Oh yes. See, some people fall in love with movies so much they write their own little version of fiction about it. Then they post their stories online for other people to read. It's nothing set in stone, just thoughts from fans all over the world."

"And what do these stories say?"

"Oh gosh, um. Well, some say you were imprisoned, some say you were tortured. Some say you were able to escape and fled to the Frost Giants home world to build another army and seek revenge. I mean, the list goes on and on. Hell, some of em have you teamed up with the Avengers as punishment."

"Is that all these stories are about? My being punished?"

"Oh no, some are romance, some are action. Some are sci-fi, and some are a little 'odd' for me but hey, whatever floats your boat."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, well. How do I put this? Don't get offended! I mean, for all I know it may be something normal for you I don't know. But, well, some of them have you as male on male action." Crystal cringed as she said it, it was so embarrassing. Hopefully she wouldn't have to explain any further.

"Male on male? Is that what I think it is?"

"I hope so, because I really don't want to have to explain it. Please don't make me." She tried to smile at him but he seemed to understand the point she was trying to make.

"You may put yourself at ease, I do not enjoy male on male 'action' as you so put it."

"Oh ok." Crystal seemed to relax. It was one thing to try and explain an alternate universe but quite another to start drilling out sex details.

"And I was, in fact, imprisoned." Loki drank at his coffee, after every swallow the look on his face told tales about how much he enjoyed the beverage.

"May I ask what happened?"

Loki was quiet for a moment and Crystal started to worry that he was getting upset.

"_Stupid! Wrong question to ask! If he wants to tell you anything you let him tell you himself!" _

"_Easy love, he's not going to do anything to you."_

"_Yea yea, but still, that was way rude of me."_

"After I was taken back home, I was put in the dungeons to await my trial. I do not know the specifics for I was not present for it. They retrieved me later on. My tongue was removed." Crystal visibly winced after he said that. Loki had still not looked up from his cup. "Along with my powers. I had given up by that point, I could have been at full capacity but I was too dejected to try anything. I had failed, I had proven once again that I would never be worth anything, to anyone. Why Thor came to visit me in the bowels of the castle dungeons is beyond me. I could not speak to him, even if I wanted to. But he came all the same, sitting by my cell and just, staring at me. Later I was given lashes for every person that had died by my hands, on this planet. I suppose I should be thankful that it was not done in public, but the blow to my ego was just the same. I had lost track of time, I know it has been years, but now I find myself here, and I know not what I am supposed to do."

The worst thing Crystal could probably do at this point was tell Loki that she was sorry. Instead she got up and filled his cup with fresh coffee and sat back down.

"I wish I knew what I could do to help you Loki. I really do."

"Why?" He looked up at her sharply. It was unclear what he was thinking at that moment.

"Well, I'm coming from a different angle, a different view point you might say. Yea what you did was bad, but there are other aspects to it too. Nobody knows what was going on in your head. Maybe you regret what had happened, and that's good. That means you can learn from your mistakes and grow into a better person, a better man. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"You will forgive me if I find that I do not understand why anyone would care about me, after discovering who I am and what I have done."

"Don't try to understand it, just accept it."

Loki was quiet then, sipping at his coffee and not saying another word.

"You know, I do have some fan fiction saved on my laptop. Would you like to ready them?"

"Yes, I would."

"Ok great. Be right back." Crystal went into the living room to retrieve her computer and then led Loki back to his room. She showed him the folder she kept all her favorite stories in and showed him how to open each one and scroll down the page. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to go take care of Moon for a while." And with that she left Loki alone. With curiosity nipping at his brain he started to read the first story.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

When Moonstreak had told Crystal that he was getting low on energon, he managed to hide the fact that he was actually out. In other words, he was starving. Crystal thought she could enter the barn and play coy, maybe tease him a bit in a sense of foreplay. What she was not expecting was to see Moon's armor pieces lying about and a miniaturized version of him standing there waiting for her. Of course she thinks miniaturized, but he was still seven and a half feet tall. The look on her face was priceless.

"What the hell Moon?"

"You don't like it my pet? I have been working on this for quite some time." He stalked towards her, electricity filling the air around them.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and Moon's thoughts were not doing anything to help keep her from shuddering. He radiated want and need like a starving man hell bent to kill anyone in the way of his next meal.

Before she knew it he was touching her, dragging his clawed hands up her sides and nuzzling her neck with hot metal. Crystal placed her hands upon his chest and felt his spark pulsating strongly. So much for foreplay. His need was bleeding into her, his need was becoming her need. He grabbed her ass and pulled her against him, throwing her legs around his waist. She gasped and he bit at her neck, sharp teeth pinching at the skin. His body was vibrating with his lust and it was sending delicious tingles all over her body.

He ground against her, hard metal meeting soft flesh and she whimpered into his ear. He growled and sent a shock into her. A moan, another shock as he ground against her again.

"I love your response to me. It's nothing I have ever heard before. Have I told you that?" Another shock and he was undoing her pants, slipping his burning fingers inside, touching her where an ache began to build.

She was writhing now, her energon infused blood reaching a boiling point. Another bite, another shock, another twitch of his fingers and she screamed. The burst of energy engulfed them, and as she came down from her high it started to soak into him, filling him, fueling him. She reached between his neck and shoulder and sank her teeth into the wires there, causing him to cry out and shock her back. Another orgasm, and as the room began to come clear into focus he was full, she was sated, and he held her there until her legs could hold her, brushing kisses over her face and neck, as gently as metal lips would allow.

"And when, were you going to tell me about your little project?" She finally asked after catching her breath.

"I think I just did." He grinned at her and ran a clawed finger along her cheek.

"You bastard." But she kissed him then, feeling the metal against her lips. It wasn't strange, and yet she could picture herself doing that for the rest of her life. It was more personal now. Having him in a form that was more like himself and more at her level.

Loki had lost track of how long Crystal had been gone. When he heard the sliding door open and close he expected her to check on him, but she didn't. He continued to read the fan fiction he was currently fascinated with. The writer seemed to have taken Loki and made him into a whole different person. After some time, Loki wished that he was this person. This reformed person that was slowly being liked and trusted by all. He felt a little touched that someone would carve such a happy ending for him out of the hell he had created that is his life. The depression racked through him once again, and he tried to will it away as he continued reading.

Crystal thought about checking on Loki. It wasn't that late in the day and dinner still needed to be served. The one problem with having to 'fuel' Moonstreak was that she had to eat all the time to maintain some energy herself.

She hoped she was doing the right thing by giving him space and letting him do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He didn't seem like the type that would want to make any friends as soon as possible, but then again, he was the quiet type, and you had to watch out for people like that. She hoped he didn't turn into an emo.

She didn't have to worry though, because in the middle of cooking he came into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. Crystal offered him a warm smile.

"Enjoying the stories?"

"I must say, they are entertaining." Crystal's smile brightens and she nods at him. Turning she picks up a mug and pours some coffee, setting it in front of him. "Thank you. But I feel I must say, you do not have to service me. I am quite capable of…"

"Oh don't mind her. She enjoys doing things like that for people. She's like a mother hen that way." Moon stated as he entered the room at his smaller stature. Crystal noted he looked positively radiant, and quickly forgot about scolding him for his comment. Loki doesn't say anything but offers a slight smile at Moon. The appearance of a smaller version of the metal man is a bit unnerving, but Loki tries not to let it show.

"I must say though, these fans of mine, how long does their infatuation last?"

"Well, considering the movie came out in 2012, it's only been a year. But, they were in love with you since 2011 with Thor's movie. So I don't know Loki. Especially with the upcoming movies, that will just rekindle the spark so to speak."

"I see."

"I can only imagine what it would be like for you to come to our world. You would be hounded like you can't imagine. I mean, people watch the movie and actually kneel in front of the TV when you say the words. I would love to see their faces when you come walking down the street in front of them. Fan girls unite!"

"Fan girls?"

"Oh yes, you may not know it, but you have an army of them. A lot more than the number of Chitari you had at New York." Crystal winced, she shouldn't have said that. Shouldn't have brought up memories of that. Especially with the way he had confessed to her earlier. She was doing nothing to help his depression.

"_Have I told you lately, that you have a beautiful mouth?" Moon chuckled in her head._

"_Shut up!"_

Minutes later dinner was served. Of all the people to start a conversation, Crystal should not have put it passed Moon. After all, it was not like he ate human food so what else was he supposed to do besides sit there and stare at them?

"You know Loki, we should take you out on the town. Emerge you into the world. What do you like to do for fun?" Loki looked at Moon a moment and seemed to think about that.

"What could your world offer?" He was genuinely interested. Crystal was surprised by this.

"Well, there's clubs for dancing, good place to meet women. Um, sightseeing. Amusement parks. We could see a movie at a theater, you might enjoy that."

"I do not suppose there is a way to see Starks new movie. Is there?"

"Well, I haven't tried it yet, but if my laptop is still connected to our world, we could try a Bit Torrent site and see if anyone has uploaded the movie to it." Crystal offered as she started to clear the table.

"A Bit Torrent?"

"Yea, it's a site where people can upload movies that they watched in a theater. What they do is sneak a video camera inside and record the screen. Its illegal, but people still do it."

"I should think I would much enjoy seeing it, if it is possible. But a theater may just be as enjoyable."

"Great!" Crystal piped in, loading a plate of food and offering it to Jynx. "We can go out tomorrow night to the club. Ironman 3 won't be out for a few weeks but we can fill our time with other things. Maybe the great Lunar Prime could take us for a flight?" Cry winked at Moon and he rolled his eyes. He knew if she asked he would do it anyway.

The discussion came to an end and everyone went their separate ways. Moon followed Cry to her bedroom and Loki went to his own. He wasn't tired however, and decided to read another Fan fiction. What he didn't count on was staying up all night until he ran out of stories to read.

Cry and Moon were snuggling in her bed. Crystal had watched in fascination as skin grew over his metal frame, his legs bent at natural angles and hair sprouted from his head. The only difference between this and how he looked as a human before, is that he was still over seven feet tall. But hey, sometimes you gotta work with what you got.

His eyes were glowing red brightly in the dark room. With his recent recharge his form was humming with energy.

"_I'm sorry I forgot about you baby." She offered to Moon._

"_Sh. Don't worry about it baby. I know a lot has been happening to us since we got here. You know I still love you. It's not a bad thing that I have to remind you."_

"_They do say, that married couples have sex less than non-married couples."_

"_Yes well, it's not just the sex. I need you, in other ways." He squeezed her breast and caused her to squirm._

"_Don't you dare, he will hear us!"_

"_Then let him hear." Moon began kissing along the back of her neck, his hand roaming over to her other breast._

"_Moon!"_

"_It's Lunar Prime to you."_

"_Oh don't you start that, I'm serious!" Moon flipped her over to her back and pushed her shirt up so fast she didn't know what was happening until a warm tongue was working over a nipple. He raised his head to look at her, red eyes glowing in the dark._

"_Then I suggest you be quiet." He growled and went back to work at the now hardened nub._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The club they went to was located on the outskirts of town. With Moon's new human form, he didn't have to fly out to it, and land somewhere hidden just to keep a close watch on Crystal and Loki. At seeing the crowded parking lot, Loki wondered what exactly all these people were doing inside.

Once inside Loki was bombarded with darkness, then light. A myriad of flashing colored lights, the smell of cigarette smoke and the drowning noises of what was called 'music'. It pounded at his senses and was already bringing a headache to his brain. The people that crowded into the building were so close, sometimes you couldn't tell where one began and one ended. They were 'dancing' together, with each other. Grinding their pelvises in sensual and sometimes sloppy displays.

They located a booth towards the back, and Crystal figured it would be the perfect spot for Loki to people watch. A waitress approached them and immediately focused all her attention on Moon. Crystal glared daggers at her, but Moon paid her no mind. In fact, he never turned to look at her. That didn't stop the blonde from leaning over towards him, her tits practically in his face. Moon still didn't look at her but ordered a drink for him and Crystal. She seemed to give up, and turned her attention to Loki.

The difference that over took the waitress was as clear as a summer day. Her back straightened, she flipped her hair off to one side to reveal the column of her throat. Loki stared at her, his face passive.

"And what would you like handsome?" She nearly purred with delight. Loki decided to play along, and offered her a sly grin.

"Brandy." He answered and Crystal watched as the blonde fanned herself with a hand. The blonde was not the type of person Crystal wanted Loki to become involved with, on any level. She probably had an STD. But if he wanted to play with her, who was she to stop him?

The waitress left and was quick to return with their drinks. She never stopped looking at Loki. If the others didn't know any better, they would swear that the waitress forgot that there were two more people sitting at this booth. The waitress turned and left, her hip swaying exuberantly much to Loki delight. He was never one to not admire the female form.

"Already got women fawning over you I see." Crystal stated as she took a swig of her beer. Moon had ordered one as well. Apparently alcohol was one of the human consumables that Moon could actually partake in. It wasn't beneficial in any way, unless he wanted to get slagged or 'drunk', then it was.

"I must admit, I never had such luxury on Asgard. Women were more impressed with Thor, or the Warriors Three like. I may have had one or two swoon for me, but I was rather more interested in my teachings."

"Why don't you go out there and dance then? I'm sure one or two will spot you and move in to dance with you."

"I'm afraid I am not knowledgeable in the way of these so called dances."

"It's easy, just do what they are doing."

Loki looked out among the throng of writing bodies. Some were more explicit than others, but he supposed those were couples, or people desperate for a release. He wasn't totally convinced and stayed seated.

Twenty minutes and three beers later, Moon was ready for something a little stronger. "I don't supposed Midgardian alcohol compares to Asgardian, does it?" Crystal asked as the famous waitress approached their table.

"Some of it does. Your tequila for example, is comparable to our strongest wine."

Crystal turned towards the waitress and waved her hands frantically until the woman finally looked at her.

"Yes we'll have shots of Patron please, and make them doubles."

The waitress scurried off and returned seconds later with nine double shots of Patron tequila.

"Aw honey! You shouldn't have!" Moon squealed in delight but Crystal slapped his hands away.

"They are not all for you!" She set two shots in front of Moon, one for herself, and the rest got pushed in front of Loki. "Alright boys," she started as she raised her shot glass to the sky. "To the night!" Moon and Loki followed suit. They clinked their glasses together, touched the table and then downed the contents. "Since you're the god at the table Loki, you have to take two more with that one." Loki didn't ask why, but did it. Moon finished his second shot without permission.

The change was almost instantaneous. Whatever was making Loki uptight, seemed to dissolve. He became loose, and wonton. He laughed at a few couples nearby that were partaking in a sloppy dance. His deep chuckle attracted a red head to saunter up to the table.

"Hi there sexy, would you like to dance with me?" She asked, a hand snaking down her chest as she held out her other hand for him. Loki beamed at her and rose from his seat. He didn't stumble but you could tell he was being affected by the liquor. The red head in nothing but a tank top and a mini skirt, lead Loki towards the inner throng of people and started to dance upon him. He didn't stand straight, but rather swayed against her as she moved around him.

Crystal and Moon looked at each other, smiling, and then made their own way to the dance floor. His large hands squeezing at her waist, her arms thrown around his neck as they moved together.

Loki hated to admit it, but he was having fun. He had returned to the table three more times to keep his buzz going with each shot of Patron he took. The red head eventually disappeared and then another blonde took her place. A woman with raven locks joined the two and eventually their boyfriend or bladder called them away. Loki returned to the table for another shot, but there were none available. He lost track of how many he had taken and now realized that he was out. Instead of sitting and waiting for the waitress to appear he made his way to the bar.

A small group cleared away and he was finally able to approach the bartender. She was a petite little thing, with pixie hair and arm tattoos. She eyed him and then stepped up to him. "Can I help you mate?"

"Ah yes. I would like some more of the tequila please." She didn't respond but pulled out a shot glass and selected a bottle. She twirled it in her hands and poured the liquid into the glass, then set it in front of him.

"That'll be three bucks mac." Loki knew this lingo, he needed to pay for the drink.

"Hey Lexie, put it on my tab, and gimmie two Bud's." Crystal came up to the counter next to Loki. Lexie nodded and turned away to retrieve the beer. "You doin ok Lok?" She asked and slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Indeed. I am enjoying myself."

"Good! Just come find me or Moon when you're ready to go." Lexie had returned and handed Crystal the two beers. Cry turned from the counter and disappeared into the crowd.

Loki drank his shot and turned from the counter. He spotted a woman sitting by herself down along the bar. She was staring at the bottles on the wall, looking lost in thought. She had long brown hair, and wore something that was not nearly as scandalous as what the rest of the women were wearing. She pulled a phone from her pocket and looked at it. Her face bunched up into a seer and she looked ready to throw the device at the wall. Curiosity got the better of him, and before he knew it, he was walking towards her.

"Evening miss." He spoke to her and hoped his speech wasn't too slurred.

She turned to look at him, blinking slowly. She didn't smile, but gave him a slight nod. "Hello." Her voice was beautiful. He wondered if she sang with it. But her attention turned to her phone once again as it gave a little chirp. She growled under her breath. Plump lips pulled back to reveal teeth as she sneered.

"If that device angers you so, why do you keep it?" The way he spoke caught her off guard. He spoke of old world, of chivalrous men and dainty princesses. His voice was deep, mysterious, and hinted at delicious thoughts that she did not want to have at the moment.

She was being stood up, by someone she thought was in love with her. A person that had grown up with her. They had done everything together, all through school, college. They took each other's virginity and spoke of true love as if it was a fact between the two. Marriage would have been on the horizon, but then he started to act different. He simply lost interest, and she didn't understand why. This was the last hope to get him to realize that once she was gone, she would never be back. And he was giving her a lame excuse as to why he couldn't be there with her tonight.

"It's not the phones fault. It's just me realizing what an idiot I've been. I don't understand men. Maybe love doesn't exist anymore in the real world." She was speaking mostly to herself, but Loki heard her all the same. He had seemed to sober at that moment. Perhaps it was the alcohol running through his veins that had drawn him to her. But it definitely had to be the reason why he suddenly cared. Well, just a little bit.

"Would you like a drink?" She raised an eyebrow at him but nodded.

"Sure, but don't think I will be going home with you."

"I only wish to buy you a drink. I have no intentions of taking you home. You are obviously distressed and need to relax." The stoic look on his face didn't waver, and she thought she believed what he said. A drink would be nice, maybe a one night stand too, but that depended on how many drinks he would buy her.

Loki took her to their table, noticing that Moon and Crystal had retired there as well. Moon was saying something but it was slurred, and sounded rather robotic. Crystal managed to shut him up as Loki approached the table with the brunette in tow.

"Hello." She said to the group and Crystal smiled, stretching a hand out to her.

"Hi! I'm Crystal, and this is Moon."

"Moon? What an interesting name." She took a seat so Crystal and she were sitting side by side in the middle.

"Yea, it's a nick name really. So what's yours?"

"Cateline. But call me Cate. And I'm sorry," she turned towards Loki. "I never caught your name."

"It's Lo…"

"Luke." Crystal piped in. "And I hope he didn't harass you too much."

Cate looked at Crystal and smiled. "Oh no, I was just about to throw my phone against a wall. I just got stood up by my own boy….ex-boyfriend. I needed a distraction."

"Oh, sorry girl. You want us to go break his legs?"

Moon burst out laughing. The sound was loud and several dancers tuned to look at him. "Oh my little pet, so violent." He purred and then shoved his face in the crook of her neck. "I like it."

"Moon, behave!"

"You will excuse them, they are a bit odd." Loki said, taking Cate's attention from the two and turning it back to him.

"What a horrible things to say." She gasped.

"It's all good Cate. If Luke wasn't a friend, he wouldn't be able to walk right now." Crystal dismissed the comment. Moon started chuckling again, face still in Cry's neck.

"Yes, my friends can be rather odd." Loki chuckled himself. "My apologizes that things did not work out for you tonight."

Cate nodded and took a sip of her pink colored drink. "So why are you guys out tonight?"

Crystal didn't offer to answer the question so Loki assumed that he would not be hearing much from the two. Crystal was stroking Moons hair, his face still in her neck. They were probably speaking to each other with their minds.

"Well, my two friends, they thought it be best to emerge me into the world. I have been a hermit, as of late."

"Oh? Are you a starving artist?"

Loki was taken aback by the question. "No. I made some mistakes and was removed from the world."

"So you were in rehab?"

"Something like that."

"Hey, it's ok. I am not someone to judge people. And it's nice to see that you are getting back out into the world." Her eyes were sincere, large brown eyes that showed a hint of understanding in them. Loki offered a small smile.

Crystal finally joined the conversation when Moon finally removed himself from her shoulder. He asked for another drink but she told him no.

They talked about what Cate did for a living, Crystal using her old job description to put forth the front of her currently working.

They talked about schooling that they had, jobs that they worked at young ages. Cate brought up the Avengers and the conversation turned to a debate about whether or not having the Avengers was a good thing or not. Cate seemed to be up in the air about the whole situation. Loki was waiting for her to say demeaning things about him, even though she didn't know she was sitting next to the very man that tried to rule her planet. But she didn't, to his surprise. They talked about family and friends, and Cate said a bit about Alex, the ex-boyfriend that stood her up tonight.

Soon the conversation turned to one that was only directed between Cate and Loki. They talked about little things, realizing they both had a passion for books of all kind. Cate apparently was trying to work on a short story to get it submitted to a publisher.

Time passed and it was time to go.

"_Are you going to be able to make it to the jeep sweetie?" Crystal cooed at Moon as his eyes started to drift closed._

"_I think so, if we leave soon."_

Crystal brought the night to an end and Cate walked with Loki outside, stating she should probably head home too.

"It was a pleasure to meet you young Catherine." Loki took her hand and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. She beamed at him and if it wasn't so dark outside, he would be able to see her blush.

"Thank you. It was definitely a better night then what it could have been. I probably would of just went home and ate a whole gallon of ice-cream." She giggled at herself and then bid Loki goodnight as she turned and walked away.

Crystal pulled up in the jeep, Moon crashed out in the back seat, and Loki climbed inside. Crystal was smiling at him and he grinned in return, turning his head from her to look out the window as she drove off.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The next morning Loki woke up and found the house empty. He was surprised to see he had slept well passed noon. Glancing out the sliding door to the back yard he saw Crystal and the giant robot outside of the barn. He opened the door and walked towards them. Moon was sitting on the grass, his red eyes glowing dimly. He was clutching his head with one hand and Crystal was berating him.

"That's what you get for sneaking drinks when I ran to the bathroom!"

"Agh, please don't yell at me kitten, my audio receptors can't take it right now." He mumbled lowly, as if hearing the sound of his own voice hurt his ears as well.

Loki caught up to them and looked up at Moon. "I say, what is matter with you metal man?"

"He has a hangover Loki. Apparently he was running to the bar for more shots while I was in the ladies' room."

"I see. What does one do to rid themselves of a hang over?" Loki looked to Crystal and smiled at her. Loki knew what a hangover was, and was quite tickled that such a large, metallic creature could be susceptible to such a thing.

"Well, some aspirin or a cup of coffee can help. But seeing as how that will probably not work for him, he is just going to have to suffer. Fitting punishment I think." She smiled wickedly at Moon as he sighed and hung his head.

Cry patted Moon's knee and steered Loki back to the house where she made a fresh pot of coffee. They sat at the table and Crystal pulled out the morning paper. Jynx came into the room and yowled at Crystal until she got up and pulled a fresh chunk of meat from the fridge, tossing it in his bowl. She returned to the table and glanced over the paper. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself last night Lok."

"It was quite interesting. Not too different from events that take place on Asgard."

"Do you think Thor would pop in? To check on you. I mean, does he know where you are right now?"

"I would assume so. He has given himself the title of Protector of Midgard. So I would think he knows where I am at all times."

"I wonder what he would think about your little adventure last night."

"I wouldn't know."

They were quiet for a few minutes while they sipped at their mugs.

"How about we go to a movie Monday night? It won't be the weekend so it won't be so crowded."

"That sounds pleasurable."

"Alight, what would you like to see? There's horror, action, and sci-fi. The other movies don't look very interesting."

"It does not matter to me."

"Well, I would really like to see Evil Dead. I think it will be good, especially since it's a remake of an old movie. I am curious to see how they did with it."

"That is acceptable."

The rest of the day was spent hanging around the house and checking on Moon. Loki wandered the forest behind Crystal's house while she took Jynx for a walk through it. Moon was finally feeling better by the time the pizza delivery man came to the door. Jynx growled with the doorbell chimed. Loki answered the door and a young teen with acne on his face was looking at him strangely. It irritated Loki and he glared at the youth. "What?" he snapped and the kid jumped.

"Dude, you look familiar. Are you a celebrity?"

"No." Loki shoved the money in the kid's hand, grabbed the pizza box and slammed the door on the young boy. Crystal came through the sliding door then and saw the irritation on his face.

"You alright?"

"Just, the boy. I didn't like the way he was looking at me is all. I had to get rid of him before he remembered who I was."

"Ah."

Showing Loki how to eat pizza was comical, but the look on his face when he ate it was priceless. Hopefully he wouldn't be asking Cry to order pizza every night.

While eating their treasure the news suddenly interrupted whatever was on the TV and Crystal got up to check.

"**And here we have the Ironman himself, Tony Stark. Tony, can you tell us what happened here today?"**

**Tony looked right at the camera, the familiar arrogance showing through even as his body was incased in his suit. The camera loved him, that was for sure. When he looked into the lens it was like he was looking straight at you. Straight at every person that was watching the TV at that moment.**

"Loki! Get in here!" Loki came in just a moment later, and stopped as soon as he spotted Stark.

"**Well June, it's quite simple really. Some jerk thought he could mess with me, so I had to prove him wrong."**

"**Could you give us more details Mister Stark. Who was the threat? And where are the other Avengers?"**

"**The situation was nothing I could not handle on my own." Tony didn't give the woman any more time to ask more questions. His mask suddenly slapped over his face and he was blasting out of there. The camera followed him as you could see the fiery trail behind him start to turn towards Stark Tower.**

"**And there you have it folks, from Ironman himself. Proving once again that he will keep us safe from any threat."**

"I see some things never change. Stark loves his moments." Loki sighed. It was then he noticed that he was still standing, Cry had taken a seat on the couch.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

"What makes you say that?"

"You were just watching Tony. I was watching everything. Yea he was happy he was getting attention, but then when she mentioned the Avengers, you could see how he felt about that. I don't think he has quite gotten the handle on the whole team player thing. He was pissed."

Loki thought about that. Replaying it in his mind he found Cry was right. Once again she was giving him a different perception on things, albeit as small as it was. She was almost becoming a psychiatrist to him, and that was probably what he needed. Thoughts of how he could use Starks insecurity rose up in his mind. He could use it to destroy him, manipulate him. But then a great weight settled itself on his chest. No, he would not do that. Stark bode him no ill will at present, and Loki was still trying to fight the demons that battled in his mind.

Monday night came and the trio went out for a movie. Loki, surprisingly, enjoyed the movie. He was the only one in the theater that was laughing. Horror, to an Asgardian, was comical apparently. This did worry Cry however, and on the drive home she asked him about it. She wanted to make sure she didn't stir up any old feelings of wanting to kill people by taking him to see Evil Dead. He only chuckled and shook his head no. Being the god of lies he knew how to read faces, and what Midgardians considered acting, was a form of stand up for the Asgardian. She laughed with him, she supposed he was right.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The days turned into weeks. Crystal showed Loki all she could of the world, or rather the areas that she could. Some things he enjoyed, others he didn't. She was stupid to think that he was impressed with Midgard, but she was sure that he didn't want to destroy it or rule its people anymore.

They had run into Cateline during an outing to Starbucks. She and Loki chatted for a bit and then went their separate ways. Cry was hoping that maybe Cateline had caught his eye, but if she did, Loki didn't make it known. Cry shrugged it off and showed Loki the wonders of mixing and matching to your heart's desire of the demon drew that was concocted at Starbucks.

On their way home Crystal slammed on the brakes when she saw a bolt of light shooting up into the sky. Her first thought was Thor, coming by rainbow bridge, but that's not what the light looked like.

"_SLAG!"_

"_Moon? Was that you?"_

"_Yea, something went wrong. I thought I finally figured it out! We are never going to get home!"_

Moonstreak was so pissed she could feel the anger coming from him as if she was standing next to him. She sped home to see him outside the barn, staring at a gaping hole in the roof. When Crystal and Loki got out of the jeep Jynx came running to her side, ready to protect her from whatever may happen next.

"So what happened?" She asked as she approached Moon.

"I'm not sure. I thought I did everything right. Maybe I miscalculated. I can't be sure anyway, my station is fried." Moon punched the side of the barn, creating a new hole and growling out his frustration.

Loki had not seen Moon like this, and had to admit he was a bit fearful of what the metal man was capable of.

They all entered the barn and looked at the destroyed inside. The station Moonstreak had been working at was blackened as if burned. Sparks erupted here and there, but none of the lighted dials or buttons were lit. Part of the worn couch had been scorched and black swatches covered the walls leading up to the hole in the roof.

Nobody said anything else but Cry went to a corner and grabbed a broom, sweeping up the small chunks of wood that scattered the floor, along with bits of metal. Moon went behind his station and removed the covering, pulling out singed wires and tossing them to a corner. He placed the covering propped up against the wall and moved outside to gather some left over wood planks that were stored behind the barn. He went to work patching up the hole on the wall while Cry moved to grab a trash bag. Loki stepped in and helped her gather up the pile of wood pieces to be dumped into the bag. Jynx made himself comfortable on the worn couch.

Once the pile was collected Loki took the broom to the other end of the barn and started to sweep up the pieces that covered it.

"Don't cry love, I'll find a way." Moon suddenly said aloud and Loki stopped what he was doing to look over at Crystal. She was picking up some larger chunks of debris and had tears flowing down her cheeks. She wiped them off quickly and sniffed, standing up to look at Moon. She offered him a sad smile and then turned to take the now full trash bag outside.

Loki gathered his pile into another trash bag and tied it shut, carrying it towards the barn doors. He stopped when he heard Crystal outside.

"Holy hell!"

Loki stepped outside and saw Crystal facing none other than Tony Stark in his metal suit.

"Look lady, I'm just here to check the place out. We had a report of a strange phenomenon."

"You're a strange phenomenon, now get the hell out of here!" She yelled at him but he didn't move. That's when he saw Loki. Cry saw the mood change through Tony's eyes as he recognized Loki standing there. Before she knew it Tony had grabbed her by the arm and threw her behind him in a none to gentle way. "You! You have a lot of nerve showing your face on this planet again!"

Loki wasn't sure what to do at that moment, but he knew if he didn't go with Stark willingly, then he would see Moonstreak, and know that he and Crystal were not of this world. They had treated him well, and considered them friends. He did not want to bring them any trouble with SHIELD. So he met Stark in the middle, hands held up and stubbornness in his posture.

"Stark."

"What? No army? No staff? I see you're not even wearing your matching panties." Tony smirked.

Crystal heard footsteps running up to them from behind, and turned to see Bruce Banner approaching with an agent that had a gun in his hands.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Can we just all chill out for a moment?" Crystal yelled, but her suggestion went unnoticed when the Agent was upon her and grabbing her by the wrist, twisting it to get her to her knees. "OW!" She screamed, and that's when everything turned to shit.

There was a loud roar and Jynx was in the air, colliding with the Agent and taking him down. The gun went flying from his hands, landing several feet away and going off. The shot that rang through the air startled Stark and he threw a punch at Loki's face. There was a loud crash of metal meeting wood and Moon burst through the partially opened barn door. His roar was louder and Jynx's and the sight much more frightening. He slapped Tony away and the loud thump of him hitting the earth shook the ground. Moon turned his focus to the agent that Jynx had pinned under gleaming fangs and sharp claws. As Moon approached he was collided by a giant green man. The hulk was not as large as Moon, but just as powerful as they exchanged punches. Stark had gotten to his feet and took to the air, sending blasts at Moon. Moon roared again and grabbed Stark in his hand, throwing the iron man at the hulk. Hulk caught him and was about to leap at Moon when Crystal suddenly screamed.

"STOP!" She was standing between the two groups, her hands spread out as if that could stop them. "Jynx! Come here!" The cat obeyed, leaping from the Agent and trotting up to her to growl at Stark and the hulk.

Before Cry could say anything else, Loki stepped to her side, rubbing his jaw that was already showing a bruise from Stark's metal swing. "It would appear that an explanation is in order. If we could all calm down, everything can be resolved."

"Oh this should be good. I would love to hear what you have to say. Is this your secret weapon? I giant robot? Didn't you try this once before? Perhaps I should call your brother and have him destroy this one to." Tony was glaring at Loki, still poised to attack, and the hulk looked like if he didn't punch something soon, he was going to explode.

"As I said, all things can be explained. If you will listen."

"I'm all ears Bambie."

And so, the explanations spilled forth. First Loki's, then Crystal's. Moon stayed silent the whole time. Even when Stark made a comment, or looked skeptical that Moon was a sentient being. Rather than prove to the man that he was, Moon decided to just remain silent through the whole exchange.

They must have stood outside for most of the day. The sun was starting to set and Banner had long since shrunk back to size. He was shirtless and if it wasn't for his pants trying to fall he would have been hugging himself. He was obviously embarrassed by his slight nudity but didn't leave Stark's side. The Agent had collected his gun but was not pointing it at them anymore.

And then, the one statement Crystal did not want to hear, was said.

"You know we are taking you with us." Tony stated to Loki, leaving no room for argument. Loki only nodded, knowing this was bound to happen sooner or later during his stay on Midgard. Tony then looked at Crystal and Moon. "That means you two as well, although I don't know how we are going to get the big guy there."

"He can follow. He can fly. Did you not watch Transformers as a kid?" Crystal snapped, still pissed at the whole situation.

"No, I didn't. I was too busy building computers." Stark replied. "And how do we know that he will follow, willingly?"

"He will follow because I ask him too." It was a lie. Moonstreak would follow whether or not she asked him. He would not let her out of his sight to these people, even if they were the 'good guys'.

"Let's see you transform then." Stark said and Moon looked down at Cry to see her nod up at him. He growled and stepped back, making space for his travel form. Stark watched in fascination as the metal moved and shifted, until a beautiful F35 Lightning was sitting in the yard. "Unbelievable." Stark whispered and then seemed to come back to the situation a second later. "Well, if he's got a cockpit, then our Agent can fly him."

"He doesn't need anyone to work the controls, he can do it himself." Crystal was glaring daggers. Oh, if only looks could kill.

"_Primus, I love you." Moon purred his satisfaction of her anger towards Stark._

She wanted to smile at that but didn't.

"Well, let's just call it insurance. The Agent will make sure he follows. If he kills the Agent, we attack him. Simple enough."

The Agent did not want to get in the jet that was seemingly alive. But he was given orders, so he did it. As he moved to sit the cockpit closed suddenly, hitting him in the head.

Tony escorted Crystal to a very familiar SHIELD jet, Jynx coming up from behind. "Tell your cat to go back in the house."

"He comes, or I don't." Crystal snapped at Tony and walked up the back ramp into the jet, Jynx and Loki following her. Tony didn't argue, but told Banner to keep an eye on her. He gave a signal to the two pilots in the front and the ramp closed, the craft taking off. Crystal didn't see him, but she assumed Stark was flying beside them, probably keeping an eye on Moon, who she knew for certain was behind them.

"Fan-fucking-tastic." She mumbled and then laid her head back, closing her eyes and hoping the flight would be over soon. Jynx set a large head on her lap and she stroked at his ears. Who knew what Banner was thinking right now.


End file.
